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Ray Emery
| death_date = | birth_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |death_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lb =196 | position = Goaltender | catches = Left | team = | league = NHL | played_for = Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Anaheim Ducks Chicago Blackhawks Atlant Moscow Oblast | draft = 99th overall | draft_year = 2001 | draft_team = Ottawa Senators | career_start = 2002 | career_end = 2016 }} Ray Emery (born on September 28, 1982 - July 15, 2018) was a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who has played in the NHL for 11 seasons. He was chosen 99th overall by the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2006–07 season, he led the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup finals. It was the Senators' first appearance in the finals since 1927. Ray's teammates and fans often refer to him as "Razor" or "Sugar Ray" for his aggressive playing style. He won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. Ray has received numerous awards and accolades. In April 2013, he won the William M. Jennings Trophy along with his teammate Corey Crawford, awarded to the goaltender or goaltenders who give up the fewest goals in the season. Ray finished the season with a 1.94 goals against average and a 0.922 save percentage. His 17 wins included 12 straight to start the year, the best such streak in NHL history. He is a two-time Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalist for his dedication and perseverance. Playing Career Pre-NHL Ray decided to commit to hockey on the advice of his mother after a potential scholarship during his pursuit for higher education pushed him to take advantage of his natural ability. At 16 years old, he landed with OJHL team Junior C Dunnville Terriers after unsuccessfully trying out for eight different junior teams. He was named the league's "Rookie of the Year". Ray was drafted by Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the fifth round of the 1999 OHL Draft. He split the 1999–2000 season between the Welland Cougars of the OHA and the Greyhounds in the OHL. During his last season in junior (in 2001–02), he gained notoriety for his fighting ability. He was named OHL's "Goaltender of the Year", setting a record of 33 wins and a GAA of 2.73. In 2001, Ray was drafted by the Ottawa Senators after enjoying his most successful OHL season in the 2001–02 season. In the 2002–03 season, he joined the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) and immediately assumed the position of starting goaltender for his first professional season with the team. He was named to the AHL All-Star team, made the league's all-rookie team & became Binghamton's MVP. Ray was suspended twice for on-ice incidents the same season, once for bumping a referee which resulted in a three-game suspension; the second time for an altercation with Denis Hamel of the Rochester Americans who admitted to uttering a racial slur. He retaliated and was suspended for three games. Ray and Hamel later became teammates in Binghamton, and Hamel apologized "for not thinking about what I was saying, in the heat of a game". Ottawa Senators (2005–2008) Ray was chosen 99th overall by the Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2006–07 season, he signed a three-year deal with the Senators worth $9.5 million. Ray began his NHL career in the 2005–06 season by setting a record for wins to start a career, winning his first 9 games, moving ahead of Bob Froese (who started the 1982–83 season with eight wins while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers). In March of the same season, he won 12 games, tying Bernie Parent's 1974 record for the most wins in a month. At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, he had won nine-straight games during the regular season as the back-up to Dominik Hasek. When Hasek injured his groin during the 2006 Winter Olympics, Ray became the team's de facto starter (along with Mike Morrison), claimed off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers as his backup. He would be the starting goaltender for the rest of the season, leading the Senators to the second round of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. After the 2005–06 season, the Senators opted not to bring back Dominik Hasek & instead acquiring Martin Gerber to compete with Ray for the starter position. Gerber was the starter at the beginning of the season, but due to his poor play, he was replaced by Ray in mid-November. On February 10, 2007, Ray was suspended three games from the NHL for striking Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre with his stick on his face after Lapierre crashed into his net. Twelve days later, after his suspension had ended, Ray was involved in a mêlée between the Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. He and Sabres goaltender Martin Biron left their creases to fight each other. After the first fight was finished, Sabres' enforcer Andrew Peters grabbed Ray and a second fight ensued. Both goaltenders received game misconducts & Emery had the rare feat (for a goaltender) of receiving two five-minute majors for fighting in the same incident. In total, Ray received 22 penalty minutes (two five-minute majors for fighting, a two-minute minor for leaving the crease and the 10-minute game misconduct) for this altercation. After the altercation, fans and media have dubbed Ray "Sugar Ray" in reference to retired boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and his reputation as a fighter. Then-teammate Brian McGrattan opined that if he were a position player and not a goalie, he would likely rank among the top five fighters in the NHL. Prior to the 2007 playoffs, Ray and the Senators won 5–2 against Montreal on March 30, 2007, which was his 100th NHL game. His strong play in the season continued in the playoffs, as the Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres each in five-game series en route to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since the team returned to the NHL in 1992, where the Senators ultimately lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games. Ray became a restricted free agent after the end of the season and filed for salary arbitration, later agreeing to a three-year deal with the Senators worth $9.5 million before the hearings were held. By the pre-season of the 2007–08 campaign, Ray was injured for a lengthy time due to a wrist injury that limited him to just 40 minutes of the pre-season and forced him to miss several games early in the Senators' season. On April 18, 2008, Murray announced to the media in an end-of-season press conference that he would not return to the Senators for the 2008–09 season. On June 20, 2008, Ray was waived by the Senators, and cleared them three days later; as a result, he became a free agent. Atlant Moscow (2008–2009) On July 9, 2008, Ray signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Atlant Moscow Oblast of the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). As a foreign goaltender, he was only allowed to play in 65% of his team's 56 regular season games due to rules that encourage the development of Russian goaltenders. Ray split duties for the season with former Colorado Avalanche goaltender Vitaly Kolesnik and completed the season as a top goaltender in the KHL with a .926 save percentage & 1.86 GAA. Philadelphia Flyers (2009–2010) On June 10, 2009, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million with Ray. After a successful training camp, he marked his return to the NHL with a 2–0 shutout victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first game of the season. In his second regular season game with the Flyers, against the New Jersey Devils, he stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 5–2 victory. On December 8, 2009, Ray was placed on injured reserve to have surgery on a torn muscle in his abdomen. Originally expected to miss about six weeks, the prognosis changed when it was discovered that he had avascular necrosis. In March 2010, Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren announced that Ray would be out for remainder of the season due to the diagnosis and that a bone graft would be done to alleviate his hip issues. Doctors were able to catch the disease early on before it spread, unlike the case of baseball & American football player Bo Jackson. As a result, in April, doctors announced an extremely successful surgery. Jackson spoke out about Ray, speculating that they were the only two athletes to come back after the disease. Jackson added, "I take my hat off him. I want him to know I am in his corner. It's a lot of hard work. To come back and play, it takes a very, very special and driven person. He's got a different makeup to want to do all the little things he needs to compete on a professional level." Unlike Jackson, who required numerous hip replacements, Ray had the benefit of advancements in modern medicine, undergoing a very specialized and complex procedure that involved removing 13 centimetres from his right fibula & then grafting it to the femur to re-introduce a proper blood supply to the area. Holmgren said that while the surgery went better than expected, he did not know exactly how long Ray's recovery would take. On July 1, 2010, Ray became an unrestricted free agent as his injury deemed him unable to play until he recuperates. In August 2010, he was given the go ahead to begin the grueling and tedious workout and rehabilitation process. In November 2010, TSN visited Ray during an on-ice workout and were surprised to see him get down into the butterfly position and play for the first time since surgery. He stated that he did not "care if could walk in seven years" and he "just wanted to play." To the surprise of his doctors and trainers, Ray has been doing better than expected. In January 2011, he began skating with an OHL team, taking shots and training with Eric Lindros, working with personal trainer Matt Nichol and goalie coach Eli Wilson. According to Wilson, Ray was "as sharp and ready now as he was the summer before Ottawa's Stanley Cup Final run." In March 2011, his injury and undefeated return to the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks garnered much media attention and fascination, with a special segment featured on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada". Remarkably, Ray currently has 13 centimetres of bone missing from his leg. This later garnered him a nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Anaheim Ducks (2011) On February 7, 2011, Ray signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Anaheim Ducks, allowing him to the standard two-week conditioning AHL stint. Three other NHL teams showed interest in signing him. He was then assigned to the Syracuse Crunch to begin conditioning. Emery went on to play a total of five games for the Crunch in their 2010–11 season, posting a 4–1–0, 1.98 GAA and .943 save percentage. On February 23, 2011, upon completion of his conditioning stint, Ray was called to the Anaheim Ducks. He made his Anaheim Ducks debut on March 11, 2011, against the Phoenix Coyotes when he replaced goaltender Dan Ellis making it his first NHL appearance since he last played in March 2010 with the Flyers. He went on to win six straight starts to open his Anaheim career, falling one shy of matching the Ducks record for consecutive wins by a goaltender, to Guy Hebert. In the week of March 14, Ray was honored with NHL's Second Star of the Week after going 2–0–0 with a 0.99 GAA and .968 save percentage. He led the Ducks into the playoffs, finishing tied for fourth in the league and posting a 7–2–0 record with 2.28 GAA and .926 save percentage in 10 regular season NHL appearances. In April, Ray's remarkable comeback was recognized when the Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) named him as their nominee for the 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The NHL also nominated him for the Masterton, making him one of three finalists. Chicago Blackhawks (2011–2013) On July 27, 2011, Ray signed a tryout contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was then signed to a one-year contract for the 2011–12 season on October 3, 2011. By the end of season, he compiled a 15–9–4 record and 2.81 GAA in 34 regular-season appearances, posting a 10–0–3 record and 2.15 GAA in 16 appearances at Chicago's United Center. Again, he was again nominated, this time by the Chicago Blackhawk for the Masterton Memorial Trophy, honoring dedication and perseverance. In April 2012, the Blackhawks signed him to a one-year extension worth $1.15 million to continue into the 2012–13 season. In March 2013, Ray made NHL history becoming the first goaltender to ever start a season with 10 straight wins, going 10–0–0. He improved his NHL record, with 11 straight wins, going 11–0–0 against the Colorado Avalanche on March 18, 2013. He surpassed his own record making NHL history yet again, going 12–0–0 in a shutout win against the Calgary Flames which happened to be his 200th NHL start. On April 10, 2013, Ray made franchise history recording his third shutout in the last five games, helping him third overall in the NHL for GAA, posting a 1.90 and seventh in save percentage at .924 with a 15–1–0 record. He proved his previous injuries were no longer an issue, posting career highs. In April 2013, Ray won the award for the NHL's best combined GAA, the 2013 William M. Jennings Trophy awarded to the goaltender who give up the fewest goals in the season, along with teammate Corey Crawford He finished the season with a 1.94 GAA and a .922 save percentage. His 17 wins included 12-straight to start the year, the best such streak in NHL history. He won his first Stanley Cup when the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in six games during the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. Return to Philadelphia (2013–2015) On July 5, 2013, Ray signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers worth $1.65 million to serve as the backup to starting goaltender Steve Mason. On July 1, 2014, he re-signed for another year in the same role for $1 million. 2015-2016 On September 8, 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Ray would be attending training camp on a PTO (professional tryout). Following the conclusion of camp, he was released from this PTO on September 27, 2015. In October & November 2015, Ray trained with the Ontario Reign of the AHL (the affiliate to the Los Angeles Kings). It was announced on December 18, 2015, that he had signed a professional tryout agreement with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), who are associated with the Toronto Maple Leafs. On January 24, 2016, Ray has been credited with his leadership & mentoring abilities upon goaltender Corey Crawford recording his league leading seventh shutout of the season with the Chicago Blackhawks after a win against the Blues, Crawford credited him for turning around his work habits. Crawford cited his focus & preparation before a game & during practice to Ray's work habits, stating: "As a goalie, I've never seen a guy be so focused and ready for a game," Crawford said. "I was kind of doing the opposite — being nonchalant and doing other stuff and not having a routine. You get in that physical routine that just makes you ready mentally. You trick yourself into knowing that it's game time and time to play." Kyle Dubas (the assistant GM of the Toronto Marlies) cited him for his mentorship towards the team. On February 5, 2016, Ray signed with Adler Mannheim of the German elite league Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the remainder of the season, thus ending his professional tryout with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). On March 29, 2016, Ray signed a tryout contract with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). On April 1, 2016, the Philadelphia Flyers announced signing him for the remainder of the season. Death On July 14, 2018, Emery was helping raise money, along with other former and current pro hockey players for Hamilton charity Food4Kids.90 On July 15, 2018, Emery went swimming with friends near the Leander Boat Club in Hamilton, Ontario. He jumped off a boat and friends called emergency services at approximately 6:00 AM when he did not resurface. His body was found at about 2:50 PM that same day, about 20 yards from where he went into the water, according to Hamilton Police, who referred to the incident as a "case of misadventure".91 The search for Emery took longer than anticipated due to unspecified safety concerns for the dive team before they could enter the water.92 Police stated that although foul play was not suspected, the exact circumstances surrounding Emery's death were still under investigation.93 Career Statistics Regular season Playoffs Accolades Personal Life Ray was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His parents are Sharlene and Paul Emery. He has two younger brothers. He grew up in a century-old farmhouse, excelled in school and was offered a scholarship. He played many sports other than hockey, including golf, baseball, and soccer. In ice hockey, Ray originally played defence, but he switched to goaltender when he was 9 years old due to a shortage of goaltenders in his league. Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:Anaheim Ducks players Category:Goaltenders Category:Toronto Marlies players Category:Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumni Category:Binghamton Senators players Category:Adirondack Phantoms players Category:Syracuse Crunch players Category:Ontario Reign players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winners Category:William M. Jennings Trophy winners